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Category: Gardening

General gardening tips and hints

In Praise of Clover in your Garden

In Praise of Clover in your Garden

The wet weather in May and June has brought out a good crop of clover and meadow flowers for our local farmers. Praise be the hay making will produce some juicy animal feed and the fields have looked particularly good.

Clover

Good Clover for Gardeners

  • Clover can be used as a green manure if you have a large patch in your garden. Grow it then dig it or rotovate it back into your soil.
  • Green manure acts as a good soil conditioner increasing the humus content.
  • Clover adds or fixes nitrogen into the soil via its roots.
  • Clover is a beneficial weed because it attracts good insects particularly species of wasp, which do not sting but do eat aphids. Bumble bees will also be attracted in to your garden.
  • Red or white clover can create a green, low-maintenance lawn or groundcover as it did before herbicides were used in great quantities to manicure lawns.

Wild Flowers

There are circa 250 species in the genus Trifolium or Clover aka Trefoil of which Trifolium repens is the common white variety.
Trifolium rubens is a hardy perennial clover sold as seed by Thompson & Morgan who say it is a ‘soft to the touch flower spikes of dusky pink which bees love and can been used as cut flowers. The mid green leaves are unusual and almost resemble peanut foliage.’ seeds at Thompson & Morgan

Plant Hardiness Ratings

Plant Hardiness Ratings

You want your plants to survive our British climate so it is worth understanding the hardiness ratings. Plant hardiness is based on the lowest temperature that a plant can normally withstand during  winter.

Categories of Hardiness

  • Hardy plants are those capable of coping with temperatures as low as -15º C.
  • Frost-hardy plants tolerate temperatures down to -5º C
  • Half hardy plants should survive in temperatures above zero.
  • Frost tender plants may be at risk below 5º C.

Hardiness Zones

  • The USA is so large and covers many different climates that it relies on Hardiness zones for horticulture and gardening.
  • These hardiness zones are geographically defined areas where temperature  will dictate what plant life is capable of growing.
  • Zone 1 is -50º C,   Zone 8 equates to -7º C   and Zone  10 is zero.
  • England is generally in zones 7 – 10 Scotland is cooler and Ireland warmer due to the warming effect of the gulf stream.

Plan Your Hardy Garden

  • Frost will run or fall down slopes and collect in ‘frost pockets’. Be careful what plants you put at the bottom of slopes.
  • Frost on young buds may not hurt but a rapid thaw caused by spring sunshine probably will. Camellias get frost burn and loose their buds if facing an easterly rising sun.
  • Your garden will have a series of micro climates so map out those areas that are suitable for special plants.
  • Allow your plants to acclimatise. Sudden drops in temperature can be more deadly than cold.
  • Be aware of heat hardiness as some plants will not survive hot temperatures.
  • Fertilizer hardiness is an issue not fully understood so watch out for sufferers.

Tactics of Hardy Plants

  • Hardy herbaceous plants allow the foliage to totally die back in autumn. The roots remain viable under the soil and regrow in spring.
  • Some hardy plants allow the stems and leaves to fall on the root crown to create a warming mulch until next spring.
  • Sappy growth is a target for frost so hardy plants stop growing in summer allowing the twigs to toughen up. Do not feed plants with high nitrogen feed in late summer if you want them to remain hardy.
  • Trees and shrubs take the sap back down into the plant and branches so that twigs are too dry to be damaged if they freeze.
  • Plants will grow less well and be prone to winter injury if the soil is heavy, wet, of low pH or low fertility, or in general not suited to the plant.
  • Some plants grow more sugars in summer to sustain them through cold winters.
  • Thermal insulation from snow cover helps plants survive normally deadly winter temperatures

The Hardy Plant Society

  • The Hardy Plant Society is a UK charity that was formed to foster interest in Hardy Plants.
  • The Society informs and encourages the novice gardener.
  • There are 40 regional groups so you can join one near you.
  • They have specialist societies for Geraniums, Peony, Pulmonaria, Variegated plants and Ranunculaceae

Sources of further information

It is hard to address the ‘question asked by everyone with ambitions to grow hardy and semi hardy tropical plants in the UK’.

The British Fuchsia Society has an official list of fuchsia plants that are capable of being over wintered in the garden

Top Ten Miniature Daffodils and Narcissus

Top Ten Miniature Daffodils and Narcissus

canaliculatus
Miniature Daffodils and Narcissus are easy to grow with these simple tips that includes a top ten variety list.
Miniature daffodils grow from 4 inches to just short of a foot. Varieties Minnow, Toto and Canaliculatus have several flowers on the one stem and are particular favourites of mine. Try growing some in pots in the cold greenhouse or as welcome additions to your alpine plants.

Daffodil selection

Top Ten Selection

  1. Little Beauty 5″ with white perianth and yellow corona
  2. Rip Van Winkle
  3. Sun Disc a consistent bulb with round disc shaped yellow flower.
  4. Hawera with reflex bachward pointing petals
  5. Petrel has several ivory-white hanging flowers per stem.
  6. Segovia -with a white perianth contrasted by a neat lemon cup
  7. Snipe A classic 5″ tall white cyclamineus type with a green tinge.
  8. Baby Moon late flowering and scented jonquilla type.
  9. Baby Doll with pink cups and a nice scent.
  10. La Belle with yellow flowers and shallow coronas in orange-yellow with a distinct reddish-orange rim

Daffodils are organised into groups and classes called divisions. Read more about Daffodil divisions that encompass miniature daffodils and narcissus varieties.

miniature daffodil

Tips on Miniature Daffodil and Narcissus

  • Look in spring for successful varieties that you may want to buy for planting this Autumn.
  • Buy pots in bloom this spring so you know what you are getting. Deadhead before the seedheads start to develop and feed the bulbs with a high phosphate feed.
  • One of the smaller varieties is Bulbocodium Conspicuous, yellow hooped petticoat at 4 inches tall with golden yellow flowers.
  • The scented Jonquilla has a couple of varieties that are low growing including Jonquil Single, Sugarbush and the ivory white flowered apricot cup of Waterperry.
  • Cyclamineus varieties tend to be low growing. One of the most popular is the Tete-a-Tete with fluted golden trumpets which bulks up quite well year on year.
  • For something different try the double Rip Van Winkle or the pinky yellow Nanus.
  • Place your order from a reputable bulb supplier during summer so that you get the varieties you want before the best bulbs are sold out. The best time to plant miniature daffodils is from September until mid October. They like to make long roots before flowering and fully produce their leaves first. .

Try growing Narcissus bulbocodium ‘Golden Bells’ commonly called the Hoop Petticoat Daffodil! Bulbs from Thompson & Morgan

Cyclamineus – Div 6 are eye-catching daffodils with reflex petals.
Triandrus Daffodils – Div 5 are a result of breeding from the species N.triandrus. There are mid flowering height and usually 2 to 5 delightful hanging flowers per stem. Available from the Miniature Bulb Co
The Daffodil Society has a list of other bulb suppliers

Five Senses For Gardeners

Five Senses For Gardeners

golden acre gardens leeds

If we are lucky to have a full complement of all five senses we are fortunate gardeners. At different times of our life these senses may wax and wain, I for one can no longer read the small print on seed packets nor hear my wife when she asks me to do something other than gardening.

Gardeners would garden just for the sheer pleasure but they also want to take into account and compensate for those with impaired senses. Here are some suggestions to help focus on the five senses one at a time but the pleasure is doubled by combining plants that augment all the senses. I you have focal points for viewing what do you call points for touching, smelling, hearing and tasting?

Himalayan garden Grewelthorpe 144

Five Senses – Sight

  • Bold colours spring to mind and one favourite is the brash Sunflower but in the veg garden Swiss Chard ‘traffic Lights’ is most colourful
  • Different shapes and contrasting leaves can be added via Heuchera or Hostas. Ornaments and statues are good for creating focal points.
  • White and yellow flowers start in spring with Snowdrops and Daffodils and continue through a variety of annuals and perennials. I suggest a range of Marigolds and Roses will give pleasure.
  • Birds and butterflies are natural sights in a well balance garden

Himalayan garden Grewelthorpe 152

Five Senses – Sound

  • Close your eyes and listen to your garden. Birds and insects add a vibrancy to your garden so attract them with appropriate plants.
  • Trees with open canopies like birch and beech are great rustlers in a breeze.
  • Bamboos sway in the breeze and if you can stand the added noise make a wind chime from the dried hollow stems.
  • If you have running water so much the better. I saw a deer scarer run by solar power in a garden this week.

Lincoln 088

Five Senses – Touch

  • Use pathways and lawn edges for the plants you most want to touch and hide away the spiky and prickly devils.
  • Textured leaves like the hairy Lambs tails or Silver Sage are very touchable.
  • Flowering grasses are airy and good for running your hands through.
  • Again an appropriate statue can be stroked and petted.

alpine strawberry

Five Senses – Taste

  • Herbs and vegetable come out strongly in the taste sense. Who would be without strawberries some varieties of which can now be grown in hanging baskets or containers.
  • Mint, Rosemary and Lavender are old fashioned stand-byes for strong taste and the plus of scent.
  • Members of the onion family including chives garlic and shallots have there own appeal.

indian pink

Five Senses – Smell

  • Sweet smelling garden Pinks and Chocolate Cosmos attract more garden visitors than you would imagine.
  • Sweet Peas are my all time favourite and you can pick bunches for indoors throughout the flowering season.
  • Over breeding has reduced the scent of some plants so smell before you buy at your local nursery or scrounge plants from other gardeners where you know the pedigree of the smell.

Sixth Sense

  • This plant was expensive so it will die
  • This nice plant will turn out to be a weed
  • The weather is going to get better
  • The bugs will eat my best veg
Growing Bellis perennis Pom Pom Daisies

Growing Bellis perennis Pom Pom Daisies

Bellis perennis

Cultivation and Growing Tips for Pompom Daisies

  • Bellis perennis is the name of the small common daisy found in great profusion growing in lawns. Pom Pom Daisy is the cultivated double daisy that makes a good spring flowering ornamental plant.
  • Grow from seed sown in late spring/early summer outdoors in a sheltered, shady site in a well prepared seed bed about ¼in deep.
  • Germination usually takes 14-21 days.
  • Thin seedlings out to 4-6in apart when they are large enough to handle and finally transplant to flowering site in autumn in sun or part shade for flowering the following spring.
  • Bellis perenis Pom Poms are great for small beds, edging, windowboxes etc.
  • Greenfly love to eat the tender leaves so keep an eye open in case you need to treat the plants

Bellis perennis

Common Names and Varieties of Pom Poms to Consider

  • Pompom daisies are available in red, pink and white. You can buy them as self colours or in mixed packets of seed
  • ‘Tasso Mixed’ is one of the best pomponette bellis ever introduced! Flowers are larger than normal pom – pom types, on compact, short, strong flower stems. The bright colours of rose, deep rose, red and white, will all give excellent results
  • ‘Petite Pom Pom’ and ‘Pomponette’ have rosettes of mid-green leaves with narrow stems topped with pink, dark pink and white pompons from early spring to autumn.

Old & Odd Tips From Gardeners Tips

  • Pom Pom daisies look good in containers, rockeries and paired with Tulips.
  • Deadheading will prolong flowering or leave to seed and collect for next season.
  • Will grow in some shade and withstand an open windy position
  • You can often obtain seeds or plants from our mail order company of choice Thompson & Morgan

    • Lincoln 119
    Credits

    Buy more varieties of Daisies at Thompson & Morgan

    Tips for Growing Forget-Me-Nots

    Tips for Growing Forget-Me-Nots

    Lincoln 120

    Forget-me-not Cultivation and Growing Tips

    • These plants are very easy to grow from seed. Sow one year and they flower the next because most varieties are biennials.
    • Forget-me-nots are usually blue but are also found in pink and white and shades of blue.
    • Forget-me-nots are dwarf, compact plants upto a foot tall! A fantastic addition to spring beds and borders.
    • The plants complement golden Daffodils yellow Wallflowers and Primulas.
    • Sow May -June and thin out. Plants self sow all over my garden so clear out any invaders.
    • Plants can also be purchase to avoid the problems of sowing your own.
    • Naturalised flowers become less spectacular – renew with seed every few years. Try a stronger strain.

    forget-me-nots

    Forget-me-not Common Names and Varieties to Consider

    • Myosotis is the Latin name for Forget-me-nots. It is a family of 50 species. See main varieties at the foot of this page
    • Historically it got the name ‘mouse ears’ due to the shape of its leaves.
    • Varieties to look out for include Ultramarine and Blue ball or for Alpine Forget-me-nots ‘Ruth Fisher’.

    Unusual Facts about Forget-me-nots

    • Newfoundland in Canada used the Forget-me-not as a symbol of remembrance of that nation’s war dead.
    • Germans and Freemasons use forget-me-nots as a symbol not to forget the poor and desperate. (Germany may need a good crop with the economy in such a state.)

    Old & Odd Tips From Gardeners Tips on Forget-me-nots

    • Plant in drifts around the edge of ponds.
    • Pull up and compost plants as they finish flowering – you will still get lots of seedlings.
    • Use forget-me-nots as a cut flower when in bud to prolong vase life.

    Dandelion and Forget-me-nots (1)

    Horticultural Sources and Advice on Forget-me-not

    • You can often obtain seeds or plants from our mail order company of choice Thompson & Morgan
    • Powdery mildew can be a problem in dry soil. Pull up and destroy infected plants.
    • Species include; Myosotis alpestris – Alpine Forget-me-not
      Myosotis arvensis – Field Forget-me-not
      Myosotis asiatica – Asiatic Forget-me-not
      Myosotis azorica – Azores Forget-me-not
      Myosotis caespitosa – Tufted Forget-me-not
      Myosotis discolor – Changing Forget-me-not
      Myosotis latifolia – Broadleaf Forget-me-not
      Myosotis laxa – Tufted Forget-me-not, Bay Forget-me-not
      Myosotis scorpioides – True Forget-me-not
      Myosotis secunda – Creeping Forget-me-not
      Myosotis sicula – Jersey Forget-me-not
      Myosotis sylvatica – Wood Forget-me-not
      Myosotis verna – Spring Forget-me-not

    Flowers from my granny's garden
    Credits
    forget-me-nots by Mags CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
    Dandelion and Forget-me-nots (1) by Purrrpl_Haze CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
    Flowers from my granny’s garden by sermoa CC BY-SA 2.0

    Tips Growing Globeflower

    Tips Growing Globeflower

    Trollius europaeus 'Superbus' Globeflower

    Description, Cultivation and Growing Tips for Globeflower

    • Globeflower is a herbaceous perennial plant that generally flowers yellow in spring or early summer.
    • They are another meadowland plant closely related to the buttercup but flower 1-3 feet tall depending on variety.
    • Globeflowers are easy to grow, disease resistant and good for cutting.
    • Keep the soil moist, they like a boggy soil that isn’t too wet in winter.
    • Mulch with an organic compost in winter to protect the roots.
    • Plants will grow and flower in partial shade.

    Trollblumen

    Common Names and Varieties of Globeflower

    • Globeflower is the common name for Trollius which is a family of around 20 species and many hybrids and cultivars.
    • The petals of Trollius europaeus are curved over the top of the flower to appear like a ball or spherical globe giving the plant its common name.
    • Many of the other species such as Trollius chinensis have more open, flatter flowers. Golden Queen is a variety with prominent stamens that form a crown on the head of each flower. It grows taller than most varieties and the flowers can be 2-3 inches across.
    • Trollius europeaeus ‘Superbus’ has an AGM and is readily available.
    • Lemon Queen, Fireglobe and Canary bird are descriptive varieties for growing.

    Trollius chinensis 'Golden Queen' Globeflower

    Unusual Facts about Globeflower

    • All Globeflowers and Trollius species are poisonous to cattle and other livestock but not butterflies which thrive on the leaves.
    • The globe is formed by the inward curve of the sepals and there are no true petals.
    • Pale yellow flowering Alabaster tones well with Lobelia cardinalis which also enjoys a wet soil

    Old & Odd Tips From Gardeners Tips – Globeflower

    • Collect the seed from your own plants and sow immediately whilst the seed is fresh.
    • In our experience the plants do not transplant easily. Sow seed where you want them to flower.

    Globe Flower, Die Trollblume, Trollius europaeus

    Horticultural Sources and Advice

    • Globeflower are slow clump formers with a mass of fibrous roots.
    • You can often obtain seeds or plants from our mail order company of choice Thompson & Morgan
    • Hybrids of Globeflowers are labeled Trollius x cultorum and are probably crosses between three species: Trollius europaeus, Trollius asiaticus and Trollius chinensis.

    Maj 2005
    Credits
    Trollius europaeus ‘Superbus’ Globeflower and Trollius chinensis ‘Golden Queen’ Globeflower by KingsbraeGarden CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
    Trollblumen by vasile23 CC BY 2.0
    Globe Flower, Die Trollblume, Trollius europaeus by Dandelion And Burdock CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
    Maj 2005 by Isfugl,CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

    Prevention and Cure for Caterpillar Damage

    Prevention and Cure for Caterpillar Damage

    If you want to see butterflys and moths be prepared for caterpillars.

    Butterflies are nice in the garden but caterpillars can cause havoc. Brassicas like Cabbages, Brussel Sprouts, and Broccoli are particularly prone to attack from Cabbage White caterpillars as you can see from my veg plot above.

    Prevention and Cure for Caterpillar Damage

    • Encourage the caterpillar’s natural enemies, such as wasps and birds for an environmentally sound and least cost method of dealing with caterpillar problems.
    • Picking off caterpillars one by one together with any eggs is satisfying but a bit tedious if you have a lot of plants.
    • Spray with soft soapy water and drop any caterpillars you have picked into soap water.
    • I could have used a systemic insecticide if the EU allows and I wanted food with a residue of chemicals but that was not for me.
    • A contact insecticide relies on hitting the creatures before they have done the damage and is still chemically based.
    • Netting the brassicas would be a sensible prevention measure. I do that to prevent pigeons eating the young plants.
    • Buy a biological control like Trichogramma wasps.They will act as parasites on the caterpillars.
    • Accept that you will get some damage for the joy you get from buttterflies.

    Caterpillar 1 enlarged

    Reasons to Look After Caterpillars

    • Caterpillars are an important part of the ecological mix. When they mature they help pollination provide food for wild l;ife and play an important part in the natural life cycle.
    • Caterpillars turn into wild butterflies and moths.
    • Carterpillars provide loads and loads of food for small birds and other creatures further up the food chain.
    • Ask any small child who has been captivated by caterpillars.

    caterpillar

    Credits
    Caterpillar 1 enlarged by Loco Steve CC BY 2.0
    caterpillar by squeakychu CC BY-NC 2.0

    Autumn Annuals for Late Colour

    Autumn Annuals for Late Colour

    Mixed Annuals

    As summer turns towards autumn you may be looking forward to a bold splash of colour from your late flowering annuals. To blanket the ground you can use a mass planting of easy to grow annuals with long flowering characteristics. Below we offer a list of top ten annuals to consider but there are many varieties and species that fit the bill.

    Autumn Annual Bed

    • Plan where you are going to plant your annuals for autumn flowering. Consider height, colour and shape of the plants in your selection. Plan low at the front and contrasting colours in opposition
    • Improve the soil with compost dug in to improve water retention.
    • Rake the top soil smooth and mark out a plan of what you want to grow where.
    • Individual potted or plug plants can be set 3-4inches apart.
    • Some plants you can grow from scattered seed to fill the gaps. They may need thinning later.

    Marigold

    Plant Varieties for Autumn Annuals

    • Low growers to consider include the white Sweet Allysum ‘Little Dorrit’, Tagetes tennufoila ‘Tangerine Gem’ and Viola ‘Maxim Marina’ light blue with dark faces.
    • Zinnias can be free sown and a good mixed packet will flower in red, orange, yellow, pink and cream.
    • Wax begonias semperflorens is a popular low grower that will stand a bit of shade if necessary.
    • I like African Marigolds a big double flower in yellow or orange. French Marigolds are smaller but intensely coloured and will go on flowering until the first frost.
    • Cineraria senecio is a plant grown for it’s light grey- silver finely cut leaves.
    • For mid height and airy foliage try Cosmos ‘Sonata white’ or Mexican sunflowers.
    • If you have some form of support for climbers there are several annuals that work hard to give you a good display including; Ipomea alba or ‘Cardinal’, Mirablis jalapa, Lablab purpureus and the cup and saucer vine Cobaea scandens.
    • I am already over the ten plants and you probably only need 5 varieties repeating in a pattern. However the best value seeds are often from the annual Dahlias which flower for fun.

    2008-07-08 Mohave Autumn Bronze - Bracteantha

    Photo Credits
    Mixed Annuals by dbkfrog CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

    “2008-07-08 Mohave Autumn Bronze – Bracteantha by rosepetal236 and 2008-07-08 Colorado State University Annual Flower Trial Garden by rosepetal236 CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

    2008-07-08 Colorado State University Annual Flower Trial Garden

    Footnotes for Autumn Annuals

    Some plants may last more than one season but I recommend treating all these plants as annuals.
    Collect the seed in autumn if you want to grow then again and compost the old plants.
    Deadhead and pick for indoor use to encourage even more flowers.
    In the UK plant in early June to give your annuals chance to develop good roots.

    Get Butterflies in Your Garden

    Get Butterflies in Your Garden

    Butterfly

    16 million gardens adds up to two million acres of garden in the UK. A fantastic resource for food, pastimes, study and wild life.

    Butterflies can benefit from the way we garden and provide extra colour and visual enjoyment. Here are some tips to help provide food and shelter whilst creating a good garden.

    Caterpillar Food Plants

    • Nettles are a good food for one of our largest butterflies the Red Admiral.
    • Grow nasturtiums near your veg patch to lure white butterfly and their caterpillars away.
    • Grass is a key food and safe haven for many species. Leave a long uncut patch where they can overwinter.
    • Wildflowers used to be available in hedgerows and meadows but so much habitat has been destroyed. You can plant wild flower seeds of local species in your own wildflower patch.
    • The small Holly Blue butterfly and some moths eat Holly and Ivy.
    • White flowers are popular with some species for the camouflage effect.
    • Bird’s-foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) is good food for larvae of the Common Blue and also provides nectar.
    • Sunflowers and thistles support Painted Ladies

    Feeding Time

    Butterfly Nectar Plants

    1. Lavender
    2. Origano
    3. Red Valerian
    4. Sedum Ice Plants
    5. Buddleia white or mauve
    6. Michaelmas Daisy
    7. Aubretia
    8. French Marigold
    9. Candytuft
    10. Hebe
    11. Verbena bonariensis
    12. Perennial Wallflower Bowles mauve

    Even a window box or container plants can provide energy giving nectar to hungry butterflies. Butterflies like sunshine and will feed more happily if the plants are in a warm sunny spot.

    Butterfly
    Resources

    Alain Picard photographs from Canada under creative commons license on flickr
    Comet moth (Argema mittrei) emerging from cocoon

    Butterfly Conservation.org Said ‘Butterfly numbers in the UK have been declining for decades and in recent years this trend has been accelerating. Numbers of Small Tortoiseshell have declined by 68 per cent and the Peacock by 30 per cent during the 2000s.
    Five species of butterfly have already become extinct in the UK and more than half of the 56 remaining species are threatened with extinction. Planting for Butterflies is a chance to reverse this decline. Just put some Lavender in a pot or a bit of Buddleia in your flower bed and you can help make a difference.’

    A-Z of British Butterflies

    Butterfly seed mixture from Thompson & Morgan
    How to attract butterflies in your garden
    Create a butterfly Garden

    The Butterfly Isles: A Summer in Search of Our Emperors and Admirals by Patrick Barkham from Amazon

    Book Cover

    Other Photo credits
    Butterfly by Alain Picard
    Comet moth (Argema mittrei) emerging from cocoon by Kew CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
    Feeding Time by Kew CC BY-NC-SA 2.0